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Tristifer Bracken
Tristifer Bracken was Lord of Stone Hedge and one of the claimants to the Kingdom of the Trident. He was murdered on the orders of King Gwayne XI Gardener at the Council of Harrenhal. Biography The oldest son of Lord Boros Bracken and lady Minisa in 252( a lowborn girl he married for love), Young Tristifer and his two siblings Talia (born 253) and Bryndan (born 255) were born into a house of great traditions and high expectations. Tristifer himself was named for the old (and future) Kings of the Riverlands, with thus with high expectations to match. As it was, Lord Boros-a cold, cruel man to all save his wife- was not the one to teach them these traditions. He died mysteriously after failed negotiations with the Blackwoods in 260, and the blame was pretty soon pointed at the Blackwoods. Tristifers mother never forget, nor forgave. With his mother being grief stricken (and, moreover, a lowborn with no legitimacy from the other lords), a solution to raising the young lord was found-whilst Talia was sent to house Piper and Bryndan was raised by his paternal uncles, young Tristifer himself was placed under the protection of Lord Allister Tully, who placed all Bracken lands under his protection to stop the Blackwoods taking advantage of the chaos. Desiring to raise a better generation of Brackens without the past stigma, and seeing how clever young Tristifer was, Allister raised Tristifer as his surrogate father, with Tristifer becoming close friends; nay almost brothers, with Alesander Tully (Allisters heir) and Grover Tully, all of whom were his age. During this happy time, Tristifer accompanied Allister on his numerous missions around the Trident, learning how to keep the peace, and the importance of honor and mercy. He also saw how the Trident has fallen into disunity however, and won his spurs fighting as a 15 year old squire against a peasant revolt at Lynchester, proving himself a good tactician. During this time Tristifer and Allister’s family were very close, and to seal their friendship Tristifers sister Talia married Grover Tully in 270, whilst Tristifer himself married Annarra Grell in 269, the daughter of a Tully vassal out of love... With the marriages, widespread celebrations were held, with even the Blackwoods being invited. The Riverlands, it seemed, were destined for a new era of peace. It did not last. Sadly, the friendship between Tully and Bracken had already gone downhill. In 268 AA, the death of his last uncle forced Tristifer to return home to finally manage his lands. Imbued with the lessons from Tully, Tristifer tried to build a new start at StoneHedge, and attempted peace overtures with the Blackwoods, even courting a Blackwood daughter, though more out of duty than love. It all ends in failure however as her brothers found out about the secret tryst and a brief war ensued (much to Tristifers dismay and regret), accusing Tristifer of raping her. Lord Tully, with royal support, mediated the conflict. To Tristifer Brackens horror however, Allister ruled in Blackwoods favour, all in order to keep the peace. Outraged by this betrayal by his surrogate father, Tristifer was easily influenced by his scheming mother, who in his darkest hour reminded him of that great Bracken source of pride; that house Bracken was descended from Quentyn III Fletcher, and should Fletcher go extinct, than all Brackens problems could be solved if they had the crown. Tristifer rejected such implied treason then ..yet a seed was planted. As 280 arrived , Tristifer began to integrate himself at the Fletcher court, becoming a close adviser to King Tristifer III, with some whispering the King only likes him because of their shared names and because (unlike past royal advisors) Tristifer Bracken never says no to the King. Secretly, Tristifer was no bootlicker, and tried to mitigate the Kings excesses and curb corruption, with mixed success. Allister Tully meanwhile, warned Tristifer not to stay to the Kings corrupt court, but Tristifer, now headstong with power, refused to listen, and exchanged harsh, bitter words with his old mentor. Not until the war in the Trident would the two speak again. A friendship was truly ended, and the slide to disunity began. Tristifer used his espionage skills at the court in Harrenhall, and soon was able to keep an eye on his (and the Kings) enemies, further making him indispensable to the king. He was soon dominant at court, save for house Mallisters influence, Frey’s money, and above all else house Darry’s relentless ambition, with Tristifer failing to halt Darry's betrothal of his son to Mia Fletcher. Nonetheless, Bracken helped to rule the Trident for five years, and with his son Quentyn befriending the two Fletcher sons Bryndan and Edmyn, he was well placed to gain influence and power at last. But Then tragedy struck. In 290, despite Quentyns pleads for caution and Tristifer’s attempts to stop them, the two Fletchers boys were killed in an Ironborn ambush, leaving the succession in doubt ( rumor and Darry propaganda has it that Tristifer himself, seeking the throne, encouraged the Boys to ride out, but this is mere slander). All the stability Tristifer had tried to create was gone. The King, in his grief and anger, blamed Tristifer Bracken for their deaths and exiled him from court, whilst Brackens ambitious and hated rival Darry continued the betrothal to Mia Fletcher. Seeing this as a threat to internal stability Bracken raised an army in response, fighting several inconclusive battles against Darry. After a minor victory however, he was ready to press the offensive and finish off Darry, when he backstabbed by the Blackwoods invading his northern border ,sparking a new brutal border war as Bracken was forced to shift his forces to face them. He held them off, but before he could crush the Blackwoods, fate once again intervened to make his vicotries worthless. When Gwayne Gardener invaded from the south, Bracken abandoned his wars to selflessly unite with Tully despite their differences so to try and stop the Reach outside Riverrun. Outnumbered however, they were scattered by the knights of the Reach, while Mallister and Darry were overrun by Arryn invaders. Escaping with his cavalry however, and abandoning his home to be sacked, for most of a year Bracken fought a heroic guerilla war on both fronts, using his tactical brilliance to delay both Reach and Vale forces in sieges and small skirmishes, all whilst attacking the siege lines at Riverrun to relieve pressure of house Tully, with Tristifer proving adept at sabotage as his force infiltrated and burned Garderner siege lines. This heroic effort was all overlooked however, as Lannister claims the lionshare of the credit for relieving Riverrun in 292, whilst Mallister claimed the credit victories over the Valeman at the Blue and Green forks, despite Brackens assistance in that counter offensive (albeit indirectly, due Blackwood allying with Mallister.) When the war was over, Stonehedge; for its refusal to yield, had suffered disproportionate damage and never recovered, its castle walls burned from the sackings. Tristifers remained scarred too ; angry at the rest of the Riverlands refusal to acknowledge his role as a war hero, at Blackwoods treachery, and at Darry’s disunity, all of which helped to turn Tristifer down a darker path. Using his reputation as a patriotic guerilla fighter to win over the people, and appealing to smaller houses looking for someone strong (with the right blood) to unite the Riverlands, Tristifer finally realizes his mothers ambitions were right. If he is to get the respect he deserves and save the Riverlands, it must be as king. As the house words show, is not House Bracken always In the Right? And with his descent from Quentyn III in his blood, who dares deny him his throne? Timeline -252: Tristifer is born -260: Lord Boros his father dies. War with Blackwood, Tully intervention, takes Tristifer as his ward -267: Tristifer is knighted on the battlefield at Lynchester -268: Returns home to Stonehedge. Attempted peace with Blackwood fails, and short brutal war ensues. Marries childhood sweetheart Annarra Grell -270: Son Quentyn Born -271: Otho Born. Annarra find the birth so difficult she is rendered unable to have further children. -280: Joins King Tristifer Fletchers court, becomes unofficial master of whispers. -290: Exiled from court, war of the Trident begins. Successfully Fights Blackwoods and Darry -291: Battle of Riverrun vs Gardener, fights hit and run war against Vale -292 Joins Mallister counteroffensive, helps wins battles at Green Fork and fights in final battles of the war, to limited reward. -298: After years of exile to Stone hedge and planning,Tristifer is now travelling to Harrenhall to press his rightful claims and stop those who would tare the Trident apart. Family -Lord Bracken (D 260) M Minisa, a lowborn wench -His eldest son Lord Tristifer Bracken (born 252) M Anaara Grell (born 253) -Tristifers eldest son **Quentyn** (born 270) -Tristifers second son **Otho** (born 271) -Lord Boros daughter, Talia (born 253) M Grover Tully -Issue (see house Tully) -Lord Boros youngest son Bryndan (born 255) -Bryndans son, Boros (born 272) Household and NPC'S -Annarra Bracken nee Grell (Archetype Castellan) -Quentyn Bracken ( cavalry general) -Bryndan Bracken, (Archetype:executioner) -Boros Bracken (Bryndan son) (Archetype: warrior) Category:House Bracken Category:Riverlander